Need Help, company left wife and I stranded

A driver at our outfit just got canned for several issues and was in the same boat.. but he just had to much cr@p to get on the bus and it was friday and contrary to popular belief, most rental cars have to be a round trip or you pay a colossally fee for one way. IF they even have any cars. Uhauls rent a ten foot box, the driver had to go 900 miles, there was a uhaul in town and a uhaul in the town he lived it. $650 bucks sounds steep.. but the uhaul cut out a lot of nonsense and it gets you and all your junk home.. and if all else fails, a place to stretch out and get some sleep. It's not perfect.. but it beats trying to get to an airport or home from a rental car place

 

I just got a card I limit to $ 1,000 otherwise I’ve gone well over 20 years without one . But I wouldn’t be stranded unless overseas maybe . Between debit card and family (who knows I can repay instantly) I never needed one .

 

Find another company that will provide transport to their terminal. There are always companies hiring no matter how bad the economy gets. Heck you can try the megas.

 

Regardless of whether this is legit or not, it’s kinda messed up that your employer can legally strand you like that.

it’s even more messed up that people in the business just accept it as being okay

 

What choice does anyone have? This is the norm.. on both sides. The vast majority of carriers provide transportation on a bus to get drivers home that the employee will pay for out of their last check (if they have one coming) but since the industry is full of people who are basically glorified homeless people.. and their insistence of dragging a ton of gear, several pets and riders of all descriptions.. the companies shouldn't be on the hook for every contingency people can come up with. The companies don't take people to raise and personal responsibility and common sense should creep in there somewhere. I have lost a lot of money providing for drivers to get home.. its my loss. but companies shouldn't go broke transporting ex employees and their menageries across the country

 

I see your point, but you have drivers in your trucks using your property to perform work for you. They’re also essentially watching/ protecting your property while they live in it 24/7.

Does it suck that someone you hired turned out to be a bad fit? Sure, but maybe that should have been worked out prior to hiring them. That seems like a problem on the end of the employer not the employee.

We don’t all have the luxury to be owner operators or start our own businesses - never mind a small fleet of trucks or whatever.

 

A 6 year veteran driver should have a small reserve kitty or the ability to get some cash . Gambling your cheque away is a problem with many people. Only fix is falling on hard times and seeing the issue.

 

It what end? I'd agree if the employee had to turn in an approved spending list to be approved by the carrier and or submit their total and complete financial history and credit ratings before being hired. I mean if the carrier is going to have to make sure that the drivers are going to have the means to get home after they quit or get fired, They need some sort of protection against idiots who cannot control their finances.

 

I realise that this thread is a bit old and I hope since he first posted the OP managed to get his life back together, but I have only been here a few days and been scrolling through things that interest me.

This one did because it struck a chord. Many years ago I drove for a company on international work based a long way from my home in England. I had loaded in from Italy and delivered my load on a Friday quite close to home. Parked up as usual at home and on Saturday got a call which I thought was the details of my next load. It wasn't, the company wasn't folding but was shutting down its international fleet as they couldn't get the necessary permits for international work.

Disappointing but not disastrous but then they asked if I would drive the wagon back that day as it was the end of the month and it would save them money if they could cash in the tax disc on the windscreen on that day. I agreed, as they said they would pay me for a night in a hotel, a car to the station and my train fare home. Plus a month's wages in lieu of notice.

This all happened as it should but they failed to inform the tax man that my 1 month's pay was not wages but severence, which is non-taxable, and I got taxed on all of it. The taxman would not accept my explanation without confirmation from the company. The company refused and said I had worked that month. Nowadays of course with tachographs everyone knows exactly where you are on any given day, but it left a nasty taste. This was a small, old, family run business and when I had joined them they paid my way to get there, treated me royally as I stayed in the Boss' home. Knocks your faith a bit, and when I read this thread I felt some sympathy for the bloke whatever the shortcomings of his personal organisational skills. I have been thousands of miles away from home, but have always had the means to get back one way or the other, if need be.